- A
Use a managed instance group for the application VM and store the database on a persistent disk attached to the primary instance.
Why wrong: The database is still a single point of failure unless you manually configure replication.
- B
Re-architect the application into microservices and use Cloud Run for stateless components.
Why wrong: This requires significant code changes and is not minimal effort.
- C
Lift and shift the VM to Compute Engine, and migrate the database to Cloud SQL with a failover replica.
Minimal code changes, uses managed database with high availability.
- D
Containerize the application and deploy on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) with Cloud Spanner as the database.
Why wrong: Requires code changes and Cloud Spanner is not MySQL-compatible.
Quick Answer
The correct strategy is to lift and shift the VM to Compute Engine and migrate the database to Cloud SQL with a failover replica. This approach minimizes code changes because the application continues running on the same operating system and environment within a Compute Engine instance, while Cloud SQL supports the native MySQL protocol, allowing the existing database connection logic to remain untouched. By adding a failover replica in a different zone, you improve availability through Cloud SQL’s managed automatic failover, which handles zone-level outages without requiring any application modifications. On the Google Professional Cloud Architect exam, this scenario tests your understanding of balancing minimal refactoring with high availability—a common trap is choosing a containerized solution like GKE, which would demand significant code changes. Remember the memory tip: “Lift the VM, shift the DB, keep the code free.”
Google PCA Manage and provision cloud infrastructure Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of manage and provision cloud infrastructure. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is migrating a legacy monolithic application to Google Cloud. The application runs on a single VM and uses a local MySQL database. The goal is to minimize changes to the application code while improving availability. Which strategy should the company use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Lift and shift the VM to Compute Engine, and migrate the database to Cloud SQL with a failover replica.
Option C is correct because it minimizes code changes by lifting the application VM to Compute Engine as-is, while migrating the local MySQL database to Cloud SQL with a failover replica. This improves availability through Cloud SQL's managed automatic failover to a standby replica in a different zone, without requiring application code changes to the database connection logic (the application can continue using the same MySQL protocol).
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a managed instance group for the application VM and store the database on a persistent disk attached to the primary instance.
Why it's wrong here
The database is still a single point of failure unless you manually configure replication.
- ✗
Re-architect the application into microservices and use Cloud Run for stateless components.
Why it's wrong here
This requires significant code changes and is not minimal effort.
- ✓
Lift and shift the VM to Compute Engine, and migrate the database to Cloud SQL with a failover replica.
Why this is correct
Minimal code changes, uses managed database with high availability.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Containerize the application and deploy on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) with Cloud Spanner as the database.
Why it's wrong here
Requires code changes and Cloud Spanner is not MySQL-compatible.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose Option A, mistakenly believing that a managed instance group with a persistent disk provides database high availability, but they overlook that the persistent disk cannot be shared across instances in a managed instance group without additional orchestration (e.g., regional persistent disks or a clustered filesystem), and the database process itself is not automatically failed over.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud SQL's failover replica uses synchronous replication to a standby instance in a different zone within the same region, ensuring zero data loss during a zonal failure (RPO of 0) and automatic failover within approximately 60 seconds (RTO). The application's MySQL connection string can remain unchanged if using the Cloud SQL proxy or a private IP address, as the proxy automatically routes traffic to the new primary after failover. In a real-world scenario, this approach is ideal for legacy applications with tight coupling to a local database, where even minor schema changes would break the application.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCA question test?
Manage and provision cloud infrastructure — This question tests Manage and provision cloud infrastructure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Lift and shift the VM to Compute Engine, and migrate the database to Cloud SQL with a failover replica. — Option C is correct because it minimizes code changes by lifting the application VM to Compute Engine as-is, while migrating the local MySQL database to Cloud SQL with a failover replica. This improves availability through Cloud SQL's managed automatic failover to a standby replica in a different zone, without requiring application code changes to the database connection logic (the application can continue using the same MySQL protocol).
What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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